The present invention relates generally to compositions and methods for the treatment of breast cancer. The invention is more particularly related to polypeptides comprising at least a portion of a protein that is preferentially expressed in breast tumor tissue and to DNA molecules encoding such polypeptides. Such polypeptides may be used in vaccines and pharmaceutical compositions for treatment of breast cancer.
Breast cancer is a significant health problem for women in the United States and throughout the world. Although advances have been made in detection and treatment of the disease, breast cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women, affecting more than 180,000 women in the United States each year. For women in North America, the life-time odds of getting breast cancer are now one in eight.
No vaccine or other universally successful method for the prevention or treatment of breast cancer is currently available. Management of the disease currently relies on a combination of early diagnosis (through routine breast screening procedures) and aggressive treatment, which may include one or more of a variety of treatments such as surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and hormone therapy. The course of treatment for a particular breast cancer is often selected based on a variety of prognostic parameters, including an analysis of specific tumor markers. See, e.g., Porter-Jordan and Lippman, Breast Cancer 8:73-100 (1994). However, the use of established markers often leads to a result that is difficult to interpret, and the high mortality observed in breast cancer patients indicates that improvements are needed in the treatment, diagnosis and prevention of the disease.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for improved methods for therapy and diagnosis of breast cancer. The present invention fulfills these needs and further provides other related advantages.
The present invention provides compounds and methods for immunotherapy of breast cancer. In one aspect, isolated polypeptides are provided comprising at least an immunogenic portion of a breast tumor protein or a variant of said protein that differs only in conservative substitutions and/or modifications, wherein the breast tumor protein comprises an amino acid sequence encoded by a DNA molecule having a partial sequence selected from the group consisting of (a) nucleotide sequences recited in SEQ ID NOS: 3, 10, 17, 24, 45-52 and 55-67, (b) complements of said nucleotide sequences and (c) sequences that hybridize to a sequence of (a) or (b) under moderately stringent conditions.
In related aspects, isolated DNA molecules encoding the above polypeptides are provided. In specific embodiments, such DNA molecules have partial sequences provided in SEQ ID NOS: 3, 10, 17, 24, 45-52 and 55-67. The present invention further provides expression vectors comprising the above DNA molecules and host cells transformed, or transfected with such expression vectors. In preferred embodiments, the host cells are selected from the group consisting of E. coli, yeast and mammalian cells.
In another aspect, the present invention provides fusion proteins comprising a first and a second inventive polypeptide or, alternatively, an inventive polypeptide and a known breast antigen.
The present invention also provides pharmaceutical compositions comprising at least one of the above polypeptides, or a DNA molecule encoding such a polypeptide, and a physiologically acceptable carrier, together with vaccines comprising at least one or more such polypeptide or DNA molecule in combination with a non-specific immune response enhancer. Pharmaceutical compositions and vaccines comprising one or more of the above fusion proteins are also provided.
In related aspects, pharmaceutical compositions for the treatment of breast cancer comprising at least one polypeptides and a physiologically acceptable carrier are provided, wherein the polypeptide comprises an immunogenic portion of a breast tumor protein or a variant thereof, the breast tumor protein being encoded by a DNA molecule having a partial sequence selected from the group consisting of: (a) nucleotide sequences recited in SEQ ID NOS: 1, 2, 4-9, 11-16, 18-23, 25-44, 53 and 54, (b) complements of said nucleotide sequences, and (c) sequences that hybridize to a sequence of (a) or (b) under moderately stringent conditions. The invention also provides vaccines for the treatment of breast cancer comprising such polypeptides in combination with a non-specific immune response; enhancer, together with pharmaceutical compositions and vaccines comprising at least one DNA molecule having a partial sequence provided in SEQ ID NOS: 1, 2, 4-9, 11-16, 18-23, 25-44, 53 and 54.
In yet another aspect, methods are provided for inhibiting the development of breast cancer in a patient, comprising administering an effective amount of at least one of the above pharmaceutical compositions and/or vaccines.
These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent upon reference to the following detailed description. All references disclosed herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety as if each was incorporated individually.
As noted above, the present invention is generally directed to compositions and methods for the immunotherapy of breast cancer. The inventive compositions are generally isolated polypeptides that comprise at least a portion of a breast tumor protein. Also included within the present invention are molecules (such as an antibody or fragment thereof) that bind to the inventive polypeptides. Such molecules are referred to herein as xe2x80x9cbinding agents.xe2x80x9d
In particular, the subject invention discloses polypeptides comprising at least a portion of a human breast tumor protein, or a variant thereof, wherein the breast tumor protein includes an amino acid sequence encoded by a DNA molecule including a sequence selected from the group consisting of: nucleotide sequences recited in SEQ ID NOS: 1-67, the complements of said nucleotide sequences, and variants thereof. As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cpolypeptidexe2x80x9d encompasses amino acid chains of any length, including full length proteins, wherein the amino acid residues are linked by covalent peptide bonds. Thus, a polypeptide comprising a portion of one of the above breast proteins may consist entirely of the portion, or the portion may be present within a larger polypeptide that contains additional sequences. The additional sequences may be derived from the native protein or may be heterologous, and such sequences may be immunoreactive and/or antigenic.
As used herein, an xe2x80x9cimmunogenic portionxe2x80x9d of a human breast tumor protein is a portion that is capable of eliciting an immune response in a patient inflicted with breast cancer and as such binds to antibodies present within sera from a breast cancer patient. Such immunogenic portions generally comprise at least about 5 amino acid residues, more preferably at least about 10, and most preferably at least about 20 amino acid residues. Immunogenic portions of the proteins described herein may be identified in antibody binding assays. Such assays may generally be performed using any of a variety of means known to those of ordinary skill in the art, as described, for example, in Harlow and Lane, Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., 1988. For example, a polypeptide may be immobilized on a solid support (as described below) and contacted with patient sera to allow binding of antibodies within the sera to the immobilized polypeptide. Unbound sera may then be removed and bound antibodies detected using, for example, 125I-labeled Protein A. Alternatively, a polypeptide may be used to generate monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies for use in detection of the polypeptide in blood or other fluids of breast cancer patients. Methods for preparing and identifying immunogenic portions of antigens of known sequence are well known in the art and include those summarized in Paul, Fundamental Immunology, 3rd ed., Raven Press, 1993, pp. 243-247.
The compositions and methods of the present invention also encompass variants of the above polypeptides and DNA molecules. A polypeptide xe2x80x9cvariant,xe2x80x9d as used herein, is a polypeptide that differs from the recited polypeptide only in conservative substitutions and/or modifications, such that the therapeutic, antigenic and/or immunogenic properties of the polypeptide are retained. Polypeptide variants preferably exhibit at least about 70%, more preferably at least about 90% and most preferably at least about 95% identity to the identified polypeptides. The identity of polypeptides may be determined using computer algorithms well known to those of skill in the art, such as Megalign, using default parameters.
For breast tumor polypeptides with immunoreactive properties, variants may, alternatively, be identified by modifying the amino acid sequence of one of the above polypeptides, and evaluating the immunoreactivity of the modified polypeptide. For breast tumor polypeptides useful for the generation of diagnostic binding agents, a variant may be identified by evaluating a modified polypeptide for the ability to generate antibodies that detect the presence or absence of breast cancer. Such modified sequences may be prepared and tested using, for example, the representative procedures described herein.
As used herein, a xe2x80x9cconservative substitutionxe2x80x9d is one in which an amino acid is substituted for another amino acid that has similar properties, such that one skilled in the art of peptide chemistry would expect the secondary structure and hydropathic nature of the polypeptide to be substantially unchanged. In general, the following groups of amino acids represent conservative changes: (1) ala, pro, gly, glu, asp, gLn, asn, ser, thr; (2) cys, ser, tyr, thr; (3) val, ile, leu, met, ala, phe; (4) lys, arg, his; and (5) phe, tyr, trp, his.
Variants of the inventive polypeptides may also, or alternatively, contain other modifications, including the deletion or addition of amino acids that have minimal influence on the antigenic properties, secondary structure and hydropathic nature of the polypeptide. For example, a polypeptide may be conjugated to a signal (or leader) sequence at the N-terminal end of the protein which co-translationally or post-translationally directs transfer of the protein. The polypeptide may also be conjugated to a linker or other sequence for ease of synthesis, purification or identification of the polypeptide (e.g., poly-His), or to enhance binding of the polypeptide to a solid support. For example, a polypeptide may be conjugated to an immunoglobulin Fc region.
A nucleotide xe2x80x9cvariantxe2x80x9d is a sequence that differs from the recited nucleotide sequence in having one or more nucleotide deletions, substitutions or additions. Such modifications may be readily introduced using standard mutagenesis techniques, such as oligonucleotide-directed site-specific mutagenesis as taught, for example, by Adelman et al. (DNA, 2:183, 1983). Nucleotide variants may be naturally occurring allelic variants, or non-naturally occurring variants. Variant nucleotide sequences preferably exhibit at least about 70%, more preferably at least about 80% and most preferably at least about 90% identity to the recited sequence. The identity of nucleotide sequences may be determined by comparing sequences using computer algorithms well known to those of skill in the art, such as Megalign, using default parameters. Such variant nucleotide sequences will generally hybridize to the recite nucleotide sequence under moderately stringent conditions. As used herein, xe2x80x9cmoderately stringent conditionsxe2x80x9d refers to prewashing in a solution of 6xc3x97SSC, 0.2% SDS; hybridizing at 65xc2x0 C., 6xc3x97SSC, 0.2% SDS overnight; followed by two washes of 30 minutes each in 1xc3x97SSC, 0.1% SDS at 65xc2x0 C. and two washes of 30 minutes each in 0.2xc3x97SSC, 0.1% SDS at 65xc2x0 C.
The breast tumor proteins of the present invention, and DNA molecules encoding such proteins, may be isolated from breast tumor tissue using any of a variety of methods well known in the art. DNA sequences corresponding to a gene (or a portion thereof) encoding one of the inventive breast tumor proteins may be isolated from a breast tumor cDNA library using a subtraction technique as described in detail below. Examples of such DNA sequences are provided in SEQ ID NOS: 1-67. Partial DNA sequences thus obtained may be used to design oligonucleotide primers for the amplification of full-length DNA sequences in a polymerase chain reaction (PCR), using techniques well known in the art (see, for example, Mullis et al., Cold Spring Harbor Symp. Quant. Biol., 51:263, 1987; Erlich ed., PCR Technology, Stockton Press, N.Y, 1989). Once a DNA sequence encoding a polypeptide is obtained, any of the above modifications may be readily introduced using standard mutagenesis techniques, such as oligonucleotide-directed site-specific mutagenesis as taught, for example, by Adelman et al. (DNA, 2:183, 1983).
The breast tumor polypeptides disclosed herein may also be generated by synthetic or recombinant means. Synthetic polypeptides having fewer than about 100 amino acids, and generally fewer than about 50 amino acids, may be generated using techniques well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. For example, such polypeptides may be synthesized using any of the commercially available solid-phase techniques, such as the Merrifield solid-phase synthesis method, where amino acids are sequentially added to a growing amino acid chain (see, for example, Merrifield, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 85:2149-2146, 1963). Equipment for automated synthesis of polypeptides is commercially available from suppliers such as Perkin Elmer/Applied BioSystems Division (Foster City, Caif.), and may be operated according to the manufacturer""s instructions.
Alternatively, any of the above polypeptides may be produced recombinantly by inserting a DNA sequence that encodes the polypeptide into an expression vector and expressing the protein in an appropriate host. Any of a variety of expression vectors known to those of ordinary skill in the art may be employed to express recombinant polypeptides of this invention. Expression may be achieved in any appropriate host cell that has been transformed or transfected with an expression vector containing a DNA molecule that encodes a recombinant polypeptide. Suitable host cells include prokaryotes, yeast and higher eukaryotic cells. Preferably, the host cells employed are E. coli, yeast or a mammalian cell line, such as CHO cells. The DNA sequences expressed in this manner may encode naturally occurring polypeptides, portions of naturally occurring polypeptides, or other variants thereof.
In general, regardless of the method of preparation, the polypeptides disclosed herein are prepared in an isolated, substantially pure form (i.e., the polypeptides are homogenous as determined by amino acid composition and primary sequence analysis). Preferably, the polypeptides are at least about 90% pure, more preferably at least about 95% pure and most preferably at least about 99% pure. In certain preferred embodiments, described in more detail below, the substantially pure polypeptides are incorporated into pharmaceutical compositions or vaccines for use in one or more of the methods disclosed herein.
In a related. aspect, the present invention provides fusion proteins comprising a first and a second inventive polypeptide or, alternatively, a polypeptide of the present invention and a known breast tumor antigen, together with variants of such fusion proteins.
A DNA sequence encoding a fusion protein of the present invention is constructed using known recombinant DNA techniques to assemble separate DNA sequences encoding the first and second polypeptides into an appropriate expression vector. The 3xe2x80x2 end of a DNA sequence encoding the first polypeptide is ligated, with or without a peptide linker, to the 5xe2x80x2 end of a DNA sequence encoding the second polypeptide so that the reading frames of the sequences are in phase to permit mRNA translation of the two DNA sequences into a single fusion protein that retains the biological activity of both the first and the second polypeptides.
A peptide linker sequence may be employed to separate the first and the second polypeptides by a distance sufficient to ensure that each polypeptide folds into its secondary and tertiary structures. Such a peptide linker sequence is incorporated into the fusion protein using standard techniques well known in the art. Suitable peptide. linker sequences may be chosen based on the following factors: (1) their ability to adopt a flexible extended conformation; (2) their inability to adopt a secondary structure that could interact with functional epitopes on the first and second polypeptides; and (3) the lack of hydrophobic or charged residues that might react with the polypeptide functional epitopes. Preferred peptide linker sequences contain Gly, Asn and Ser residues. Other near neutral amino acids, such as Thr and Ala may also be used in the linker sequence. Amino acid sequences which may be usefully employed as linkers include those disclosed in Maratea et al., Gene 40:39-46, 1985; Murphy et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 83:8258-8262, 1986; U.S. Pat. No. 4,935,233 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,180. The linker sequence may be from 1 to about 50 amino acids in length. Peptide sequences are not required when the first and second polypeptides have non-essential N-terminal amino acid regions that can be used to separate the functional domains and prevent steric interference.
The ligated DNA sequences are operably linked to suitable transcriptional or translational regulatory elements. The regulatory elements responsible for expression of DNA are located only 5xe2x80x2 to the DNA sequence encoding the first polypeptides. Similarly, stop codons require to end translation and transcription termination signals are only present 3xe2x80x2 to the DNA sequence encoding the second polypeptide.
Fusion proteins are also provided that comprise a polypeptide of the present invention together with an unrelated immunogenic protein. Preferably the immunogenic protein is capable of eliciting a recall response. Examples of such proteins include tetanus, tuberculosis and hepatitis proteins (see, for example, Stoute et al. New Engl. J Med., 336:86-91 (1997)).
Polypeptides of the present invention that comprise an immunogenic portion of a breast tumor protein may generally be used for immunotherapy of breast cancer, wherein the polypeptide stimulates the patient""s own immune response to breast tumor cells. In further aspects, the present invention provides methods for using one or more of the immunoreactive polypeptides encoded by a DNA molecule having a sequence provided in SEQ ID NOS: 1-67 (or fusion proteins comprising one or more such polypeptides and/or DNA encoding such polypeptides) for immunotherapy of breast cancer in a patient. As used herein, a xe2x80x9cpatientxe2x80x9d refers to any warm-blooded animal, preferably a human. A patient may be afflicted with a disease, or may be free of detectable disease. Accordingly, the above immunoreactive polypeptides (or fusion proteins or DNA molecules encoding such polypeptides) may be used to treat breast cancer or to inhibit the development of breast cancer. The polypeptides may be administered either prior to or following surgical removal of primary tumors and/or treatment by administration of radiotherapy and conventional chemotherapeutic drugs.
In these aspects, the polypeptide or fusion protein is generally present within a pharmaceutical composition and/or a vaccine. Pharmaceutical compositions may comprise one or more polypeptides, each of which may contain one or more of the above sequences (or variants thereof), and a physiologically acceptable carrier. The vaccines may comprise one or more of such polypeptides and a non-specific immune response enhancer, wherein the non-specific immune response enhancer is capable of eliciting or enhancing an immune response to an exogenoius antigen. Examples of non-specific-immune response enhancers include adjuvants, biodegradable microspheres (e.g., polylactic galactide) and liposomes (into which the polypeptide is incorporated). Pharmaceutical compositions and vaccines may also contain other epitopes of breast tumor antigens, either incorporated into a combination polypeptide (i.e., a single polypeptide that contains multiple epitopes) or present within a separate polypeptide.
Alternatively, a pharmaceutical composition or vaccine may contain DNA encoding one or more of the above polypeptides, such that the polypeptide is generated in situ. In such pharmaceutical compositions and vaccines, the DNA may be present within any of a variety of delivery systems known to those of ordinary skill in the art, including nucleic acid expression systems, bacteria and viral expression systems. Appropriate nucleic acid expression systems contain the necessary DNA sequences for expression in the patient (such as a suitable promoter). Bacterial delivery systems involve the administration of a bacterium (such as Bacillus-Calmette-Guerrin) that expresses an epitope of a breast tumor cell antigen on its cell surface. In a preferred embodiment, the DNA may be introduced using a viral expression system (e.g., vaccinia or other pox virus, retrovirus, or adenovirus), which may involve the use of a non-pathogenic (defective), replication competent virus. Suitable systems are disclosed, for example, in Fisher-Hoch et al., PNAS 86:317-321, 1989; Flexner et al., Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 569:86-103, 1989; Flexner et al., Vaccine 8:17-21, 1990; U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,603,112, 4,769,330, and 5,017,487; WO 89/01973; U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,127; GB 2,200,651; EP 0,345,242; WO 91/02805; Berkner, Biotechniques 6:616-627, 1988; Rosenfeld et al., Science 252:431-434, 1991; Kolls et al., PNAS 91:215-219, 1994; Kass-Eisler et al., PNAS 90:11498-11502, 1993; Guzman et al., Circulation 88:2838-2848, 1993; and Guzman et al., Cir. Res. 73:1202-1207, 1993. Techniques for incorporating DNA into such expression systems are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. The DNA may also be xe2x80x9cnaked,xe2x80x9d as described, for example, in published PCT application WO 90/11092, and Ulmer et al., Science 259:1745-1749, 1993, reviewed by Cohen, Science 259:1691-1692, 1993. The uptake of naked DNA may be increased by coating the DNA onto biodegradable beads, which are efficiently transported into the cells.
Routes and frequency of administration, as well as dosage, will vary from individual to individual and may parallel those currently being used in immunotherapy of other diseases. In general, the pharmaceutical compositions and vaccines may be administered by injection (e.g., intracutaneous, intramuscular, intravenous or subcutaneous), intranasally (e.g., by aspiration) or orally. Between 1 and 10 doses may be administered over a 3-24 week period. Preferably, 4 doses are administered, at an interval of 3 months, and booster administrations may be given periodically thereafter. Alternate protocols may be appropriate for individual patients. A suitable dose is an amount of polypeptide or DNA that is effective to raise an immune response (cellular and/or humoral) against breast tumor cells in a treated patient. A suitable immune response is at least 10-50% above the basal (i.e., untreated) level. In general, the amount of polypeptide present in a dose (or produced in situ by the DNA in a dose) ranges from about 1 pg to about 100 mg per kg of host, typically from about 10 pg to about 1 mg, and preferably from about 100 pg to about 1 xcexcg. Suitable dose sizes will vary with the size of the patient, but will typically range from about 0.01 mL to about 5 mL.
While any suitable carrier known to those of ordinary skill in the art may be employed in the pharmaceutical compositions of this invention, the type of carrier will vary depending on the mode of administration. For parenteral administration, such as subcutaneous injection, the carrier preferably comprises water, saline, alcohol, a lipid, a wax and/or a buffer. For oral administration, any of the above carriers or a solid carrier, such as mannitol, lactose, starch, magnesium stearate, sodium saccharine, talcum, cellulose, glucose, sucrose, and/or magnesium carbonate, may be employed. Biodegradable microspheres (e.g., polylactic glycolide) may also be employed as carriers for the pharmaceutical compositions of this invention. Suitable biodegradable microspheres are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,897,268 and 5,075,109.
Any of a variety of non-specific immune response enhancers may be employed in the vaccines of this invention. For example, an adjuvant may be included. Most adjuvants contain a substance designed to protect the antigen from rapid catabolism, such as aluminum hydroxide or mineral oil, and a nonspecific stimulator of immune response, such as lipid A, Bordella pertussis or Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Such adjuvants are commercially available as, for example, Freund""s Incomplete Adjuvant and Complete Adjuvant (Difco Laboratories, Detroit, Mich.) and Merck Adjuvant 65 (Merck and Company, Inc., Rahway, N.J.).
Polypeptides disclosed herein may also be employed in ex vivo treatment of breast cancer. For example, cells of the immune system, such as T cells, may be isolated from the peripheral blood of a patient, using a commercially available cell separation system, such as CellPro Incorporated""s (Bothell, WA) CEPRATE(trademark) system (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,240,856; 5,215,926; WO 89/06280; WO 91/16116 and WO 92/07243). The separated cells are stimulated with one or more of the immunoreactive polypeptides contained within a delivery vehicle, such as a microsphere, to provide antigen-specific T cells. The population of tumor antigen-specific T cells is then expanded using standard techniques and the cells are administered back to the patient.
Polypeptides of the present invention may also, or alternatively, be used to generate binding agents, such as antibodies or fragments thereof, that are capable of detecting metastatic human breast tumors. Binding agents of the present invention may generally be prepared using methods known to those of ordinary skill in the art, including the representative procedures described herein. Binding agents are capable of differentiating between patients with and without breast cancer, using the representative assays described herein. In other words, antibodies or other binding agents raised against a breast tumor protein, or a suitable portion thereof, will generate a signal indicating the presence of primary or metastatic breast cancer in at least about 20% of patients afflicted with the disease, and will generate a negative signal indicating the absence of the disease in at least about 90% of individuals without primary or metastatic breast cancer. Suitable portions of such breast tumor proteins are portions that are able to generate a binding agent that indicates the presence of primary or metastatic breast cancer in substantially all (i.e., at least about 80%, and preferably at least about 90%) of the patients for which breast cancer would be indicated using the full length protein, and that indicate the absence of breast cancer in substantially all of those samples that would be negative when tested with full length protein. The representative assays described below, such as the two-antibody sandwich assay, may generally be employed for evaluating the ability of a binding agent to detect metastatic human breast tumors.
The ability of a polypeptide prepared as described herein to generate antibodies capable of detecting primary or metastatic human breast tumors may generally be evaluated by raising one or more antibodies against the polypeptide (using, for example, a representative method described herein) and determining the ability of such antibodies to detect such tumors in patients. This determination may be made by assaying biological samples from patients with and without primary or metastatic breast cancer for the presence of a polypeptide that binds to the generated antibodies. Such test assays may be performed, for example, using a representative procedure described below. Polypeptides that generate antibodies capable of detecting at least 20% of primary or metastatic breast tumors by such procedures are considered to be useful in assays for detecting primary or metastatic human breast tumors. Polypeptide specific antibodies may be used alone or in combination to improve sensitivity.
Polypeptides capable of detecting primary or metastatic human breast tumors may be used as markers for diagnosing breast cancer or for monitoring disease progression in patients. In one embodiment, breast cancer in a patient may be diagnosed by evaluating a biological sample obtained from the patient for the level of one or more of the above polypeptides, relative to a predetermined cut-off value. As used herein, suitable xe2x80x9cbiological samplesxe2x80x9d include blood, sera and urine.
The level of one or more of the above polypeptides may be evaluated using any binding agent specific for the polypeptide(s). A xe2x80x9cbinding agent,xe2x80x9d in the context of this invention, is any agent (such as a compound or a cell) that binds to a polypeptide as described above. As used herein, xe2x80x9cbindingxe2x80x9d refers to a noncovalent association between two separate molecules (each of which may be free (i.e., in solution) or present on the surface of a cell or a solid support), such that a xe2x80x9ccomplexxe2x80x9d is formed. Such a complex may be free or immobilized (either covalently or noncovalently) on a support material. The ability to bind may generally be evaluated by determining a binding constant for the formation of the complex. The binding constant is the value obtained when the concentration of the complex is divided by the product of the component concentrations. In general, two compounds are said to xe2x80x9cbindxe2x80x9d in the context of the present invention when the binding constant for complex formation exceeds about 103 L/mol. The binding constant may be determined using methods well known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
Any agent that satisfies the above requirements may be a binding agent. For example, a binding agent may be a ribosome with or without a peptide component, an RNA molecule or a peptide. In a preferred embodiment, the binding partner is an antibody, or a fragment thereof. Such antibodies may be polyclonal, or monoclonal. In addition, the antibodies may be single chain, chimeric, CDR-grafted or humanized. Antibodies may be prepared by the methods described herein and by other methods well known to those of skill in the art.
There are a variety of assay formats known to those of ordinary skill in the art for using a binding partner to detect polypeptide markers in a sample. See, e.g., Harlow and Lane, Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1988. In a preferred embodiment, the assay involves the use of binding partner immobilized on a solid support to bind to and remove the polypeptide from the remainder of the sample. The bound polypeptide may then be detected using a second binding partner that contains a reporter group. Suitable second binding partners include antibodies that bind to the binding partner/polypeptide complex. Alternatively, a competitive assay may be utilized, in which a polypeptide is labeled with a reporter group and allowed to bind to the immobilized binding partner after incubation of the binding partner with the sample. The extent to which components of the sample inhibit the binding of the labeled polypeptide to the binding partner is indicative of the reactivity of the sample with the immobilized binding partner.
The solid support may be any material known to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the antigen may be attached. For example, the solid support may be a test well in a microtiter plate or a nitrocellulose or other suitable membrane. Alternatively, the support may be a bead or disc, such as glass, fiberglass, latex or a plastic material such as polystyrene or polyvinylchloride. The support may also be a magnetic particle or a fiber optic sensor, such as those disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,681. The binding agent may be immobilized on the solid support using a variety of techniques known to those of skill in the art, which are amply described in the patent and scientific literature. In the context of the present invention, the term xe2x80x9cimmobilizationxe2x80x9d refers to both noncovalent association, such as adsorption, and covalent attachment (which may be a direct linkage between the antigen and functional groups on the support or may be a linkage by way of a cross-linking agent). Immobilization by adsorption to a well in a microtiter plate or to a membrane is preferred. In such cases, adsorption may be achieved by contacting the binding agent, in a suitable buffer, with the solid support for a suitable amount of time. The contact time varies with temperature, but is typically between about 1 hour and about 1 day. In general, contacting a well of a plastic microtiter plate (such as polystyrene or polyvinylchloride) with an amount of binding agent ranging from about 10 ng to about 10 xcexcg, and preferably about 100 ng to about 1 xcexcg, is sufficient to immobilize an adequate amount of binding agent.
Covalent attachment of binding agent to a solid support may generally be achieved by first reacting the support with a bifunctional reagent that will react with both the support and a functional group, such as a hydroxyl or amino group, on the binding agent. For example, the binding agent may be covalently attached to supports having an appropriate polymer coating using benzoquinone or by condensation of an aldehyde group on the support with an amine and an active hydrogen on the binding partner (see, e.g., Pierce Immunotechnology Catalog and Handbook, 1991, at A12-A13).
In certain embodiments, the assay is a two-antibody sandwich assay. This assay may be performed by first contacting an antibody that has been immobilized on a solid support, commonly the well of a microtiter plate, with the sample, such that polypeptides within the sample are allowed to bind to the immobilized antibody. Unbound sample is then removed from the immobilized polypeptide-antibody complexes and a second antibody (containing a reporter group) capable of binding to a different site on the polypeptide is added. The amount of second antibody that remains bound to the solid support is then determined using a method appropriate for the specific reporter group.
More specifically, once the antibody is immobilized on the support as described above, the remaining protein binding sites on the support are typically blocked. Any suitable blocking agent known to those of ordinary skill in the art, such as bovine serum albumin or Tween 20(trademark) (Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, Mo.). The immobilized antibody is then incubated with the sample, and polypeptide is allowed to bind to the antibody. The sample may be diluted with a suitable diluent, such as phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) prior to incubation. In general, an appropriate contact time (i.e., incubation time) is that period of time that is sufficient to detect the presence of polypeptide within a sample obtained from an individual with breast cancer. Preferably, the contact time is sufficient to achieve a level of binding that is at least about 95% of that achieved at equilibrium between bound and unbound polypeptide. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the time necessary to achieve equilibrium may be readily determined by assaying the level of binding that occurs over a period of time. At room temperature, an incubation time of about 30 minutes is generally sufficient.
Unbound sample may then be removed by washing the solid support with an appropriate buffer, such as PBS containing 0.1% Tween 20(trademark). The second antibody, which contains a reporter group, may then be added to the solid support. Preferred reporter groups include enzymes (such as horseradish peroxidase), substrates, cofactors, inhibitors, dyes, radionuclides, luminescent groups, fluorescent groups and biotin. The conjugation of antibody to reporter group may be achieved using standard methods known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
The second antibody is then incubated with the immobilized antibody-polypeptide complex for an amount of time sufficient to detect the bound polypeptide. An appropriate amount of time may generally be determined by assaying the level of binding that occurs over a period of time. Unbound second antibody is then removed and bound second antibody is detected using the reporter group. The method employed for detecting the reporter group depends upon the nature of the reporter group. For radioactive groups, scintillation counting or autoradiographic methods are generally appropriate. Spectroscopic methods may be used to detect dyes, luminescent groups and fluorescent groups. Biotin may be detected using avidin, coupled to a different reporter group (commonly a radioactive or fluorescent group or an enzyme). Enzyme reporter groups may generally be detected by the addition of substrate (generally for a specific period of time), followed by spectroscopic or other analysis of the reaction products.
To determine the presence or absence of breast cancer, the signal detected from the reporter group that remains bound to the solid support is generally compared to a signal that corresponds to a predetermined cut-off value. In one preferred embodiment, the cut-off value is the average mean signal obtained when the immobilized antibody is incubated with samples from patients without breast cancer. In general, a sample generating a signal that is three standard deviations above the predetermined cut-off value is considered positive for breast cancer. In an alternate preferred embodiment, the cut-off value is determined using a Receiver Operator Curve, according to the method of Sackett et al., Clinical Epidemiology: A Basic Science for Clinical Medicine, Little Brown and Co., 1985, p. 106-7. Briefly, in this embodiment, the cut-off value may be determined from a plot of pairs of true positive rates (i.e., sensitivity) and false positive rates (100%-specificity) that correspond to each possible cut-off value for the diagnostic test result. The cut-off value on the plot that is the closest to the upper left-hand corner (i.e., the value that encloses the largest area) is the most accurate cut-off value, and a sample generating a signal that is higher than the cut-off value determined by this method may be considered positive. Alternatively, the cut-off value may be shifted to the left along the plot, to minimize the false positive rate, or to the right, to minimize the false negative rate. In general, a sample generating a signal that is higher than the cut-off value determined by this method is considered positive for breast cancer.
In a related embodiment, the assay is performed in a flow-through or strip test format, wherein the antibody is immobilized on a membrane, such as nitrocellulose. In the flow-through test, polypeptides within the sample bind to the immobilized antibody as the sample passes through the membrane. A second, labeled antibody then binds to the antibody-polypeptide complex as a solution containing the second antibody flows through the membrane. The detection of bound second antibody may then be performed as described above. In the strip test format, one end of the membrane to which antibody is bound is immersed in a solution containing the sample. The sample migrates along the membrane through a region containing second antibody and to the area of immobilized antibody. Concentration of second antibody at the area of immobilized antibody indicates the presence of breast cancer. Typically, the concentration of second antibody at that site generates a pattern, such as a line, that can be read visually. The absence of such a pattern indicates a negative result. In general, the amount of antibody immobilized on the membrane is selected to generate a visually discernible pattern when the biological sample contains a level of polypeptide that would be sufficient to generate a positive signal in the two-antibody sandwich assay, in the format discussed above. Preferably, the amount of antibody immobilized on the membrane ranges from about 25 ng to about 1 xcexcg, and more preferably from about 50 ng to about 500 ng. Such tests can typically be performed with a very small amount of biological sample.
Of course, numerous other assay protocols exist that are suitable for use with the antigens or antibodies of the present invention. The above descriptions are intended to be exemplary only.
In another embodiment, the above polypeptides may be used as markers for the progression of breast cancer. In this embodiment, assays as described above for the diagnosis of breast cancer may be performed over time, and the change in the level of reactive polypeptide(s) evaluated. For example, the assays may be performed every 24-72 hours for a period of 6 months to 1 year, and thereafter performed as needed. In general, breast cancer is progressing in those patients in whom the level of polypeptide detected by the binding agent increases over time. In contrast, breast cancer is not progressing when the level of reactive polypeptide either remains constant or decreases with time.
Antibodies for use in the above methods may be prepared by any of a variety of techniques known to those of ordinary skill in the art. See, e.g., Harlow and Lane, Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1988. In one such technique, an immunogen comprising the antigenic polypeptide is initially injected into any of a wide variety of mammals (e.g., mice, rats, rabbits, sheep and goats). In this step, the polypeptides of this invention may serve as the immunogen without modification. Alternatively, particularly for relatively short polypeptides, a superior immune response may be elicited if the polypeptide is joined to a carrier protein, such as bovine serum albumin or keyhole limpet hemocyanin. The immunogen is injected into the animal host, preferably according to a predetermined schedule incorporating one or more booster immunizations, and the animals are bled periodically. Polyclonal antibodies specific for the polypeptide may then be purified from such antisera by, for example, affinity chromatography using the polypeptide coupled to a suitable solid support.
Monoclonal antibodies specific for the antigenic polypeptide of interest may be prepared, for example, using the technique of Kohler and Milstein, Eur. J Immunol; 6:511-519, 1976, and improvements thereto. Briefly, these methods involve the preparation of immortal cell lines capable of producing antibodies having the desired specificity (i.e., reactivity with the polypeptide of interest). Such cell lines may be produced, for example, from spleen cells obtained from an animal immunized as described above. The spleen cells are then immortalized by, for example, fusion with a myeloma cell fusion partner, preferably one that is syngeneic with the immunized animal. A variety of fusion techniques may be employed. For example, the spleen cells and myeloma cells may be combined with a nonionic detergent for a few minutes and then plated at low density on a selective medium that supports the growth of hybrid cells, but not myeloma cells. A preferred selection technique uses HAT (hypoxanthine, aminopterin, thymidine) selection. After a sufficient time, usually about 1 to 2 weeks, colonies of hybrids are observed. Single colonies are selected and tested for binding activity against the polypeptide. Hybridomas having high reactivity and specificity are preferred.
Monoclonal antibodies may be isolated from the supernatants of growing hybridoma colonies. In addition, various techniques may be employed to enhance the yield, such as injection of the hybridoma cell line into the peritoneal cavity of a suitable vertebrate host, such as a mouse. Monoclonal antibodies may then be harvested from the ascites fluid or the blood. Contaminants may be removed from the antibodies by conventional techniques, such as chromatography, gel filtration, precipitation, and extraction. The polypeptides of this invention may be used in the purification process in, for example, an affinity chromatography step.
Monoclonal antibodies of the present invention may also be used as therapeutic reagents, to diminish or eliminate breast tumors. The antibodies may be used on their own (for instance, to inhibit metastases) or coupled to one or more therapeutic agents. Suitable agents in this regard include radionuclides, differentiation inducers, drugs, toxins, and derivatives thereof. Preferred radionuclides include 90Y, 123I, 125I, 131I, 186Re, 188Re, 211At, and 212Bi. Preferred drugs include methotrexate, and pyrimidine and purine analogs. Preferred differentiation inducers include phorbol esters and butyric acid. Preferred toxins include ricin, abrin, diptheria toxin, cholera toxin, gelonin, Pseudomonas exotoxin, Shigella toxin, and pokeweed antiviral protein.
A therapeutic agent may be coupled (e.g., covalently bonded) to a suitable monoclonal antibody either directly or indirectly (e.g., via a linker group). A direct reaction between an agent and an antibody is possible when each possesses a substituent capable of reacting with the other. For example, a nucleophilic group, such as an amino or sulfhydryl group, on one may be capable of reacting with a carbonyl-containing group, such as an anhydride or an acid halide, or with an alkyl group containing a good leaving group (e.g., a halide) on the other.
Alternatively, it may be desirable to couple a therapeutic agent and an antibody via a linker group. A linker group can function as a spacer to distance an antibody from an agent in order to avoid interference with binding capabilities. A linker group can also serve to increase the chemical reactivity of a substituent on an agent or an antibody, and thus increase the coupling efficiency. An increase in chemical reactivity may also facilitate the use of agents, or functional groups on agents, which otherwise would not be possible;
It will be evident to those skilled in the art that a variety of bifunctional or polyfunctional reagents, both homo- and hetero-functional (such as those described in the catalog of the Pierce Chemical Co., Rockford, Ill.), may be employed as the linker group. Coupling may be effected, for example, through amino groups, carboxyl groups, sulfhydryl groups or oxidized carbohydrate residues. There are numerous references describing such methodology, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,958, to Rodwell et al.
Where a therapeutic agent is more potent when free from the antibody portion of the immunoconjugates of the present invention, it may be desirable to use a linker group which is cleavable during or upon internalization into a cell. A number of different cleavable linker groups have been described. The mechanisms for the intracellular release of an agent from these linker groups include cleavage by reduction of a disulfide bond (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,489,710, to Spitler), by irradiation of a photolabile bond (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,625,014, to Senter et al.), by hydrolysis of derivatized amino acid side chains (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,045, to Kohn et al.), by serum complement-mediated hydrolysis (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,958, to Rodwell et al.), and acid-catalyzed hydrolysis (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,789, to Blattler et al.).
It may be desirable to couple more than one agent to an antibody. In one embodiment, multiple molecules of an agent are coupled to one antibody molecule. In another embodiment, more than one type of agent may be coupled to one antibody. Regardless of the particular embodiment, immunoconjugates with more than one agent may be prepared in a variety of ways. For example, more than one agent may be coupled directly to an antibody molecule, or linkers which provide multiple sites for attachment can be used. Alternatively, a carrier can be used.
A carrier may bear the agents in a variety of ways, including covalent bonding either directly or via a linker group. Suitable carriers include proteins such as albumins (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,507,234, to Kato et al.), peptides and polysaccharides such as aminodextran (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,699,784, to Shih et al.). A carrier may also bear an agent by noncovalent bonding or by encapsulation, such as within a liposome vesicle (e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,429,008 and 4,873,088). Carriers specific for radionuclide agents include radiohalogenated small molecules and chelating compounds. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,792 discloses representative radiohalogenated small molecules and their synthesis. A radionuclide chelate may be formed from chelating compounds that include those containing nitrogen and sulfur atoms as the donor atoms for binding the metal, or metal oxide, radionuclide. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,673,562, to Davison et al. discloses representative chelating compounds and their synthesis.
A variety of routes of administration for the antibodies and immunoconjugates may be used. Typically, administration will be intravenous, intramuscular, subcutaneous or in the bed of a resected tumor. It will be evident that the precise dose of the antibody/immunoconjugate will vary depending upon the antibody used, the antigen density on the tumor, and the rate of clearance of the antibody.
Diagnostic reagents of the present invention may also comprise DNA sequences encoding one or more of the above polypeptides, or one or more portions thereof. For example, at least two oligonucleotide primers may be employed in a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based assay to amplify breast tumor-specific cDNA derived from a biological sample, wherein at least one of the oligonucleotide primers is specific for a DNA molecule encoding a breast tumor protein of the present invention. The presence of the amplified cDNA is then detected using techniques well known in the art, such as gel electrophoresis. Similarly, oligonucleotide probes specific for a DNA molecule encoding a breast tumor protein of the present invention may be used in a hybridization assay to detect the presence of an inventive polypeptide in a biological sample.
As used herein, the term xe2x80x9coligonucleotide primer/probe specific for a DNA moleculexe2x80x9d means an oligonucleotide sequence that has at least about 60%, preferably at least about 75% and more preferably at least about 90%, identity to the DNA molecule in question. Oligonucleotide primers and/or probes which may be usefully employed in the inventive diagnostic methods preferably have at least about 10-40 nucleotides. In a preferred embodiment, the oligonucleotide primers comprise at least about 10 contiguous nucleotides of a DNA molecule having a partial sequence selected from SEQ ID NOS: 1-67. Preferably, oligonucleotide probes for use in the inventive diagnostic methods comprise at least about 15 contiguous oligonucleotides of a DNA molecule having a partial sequence provided in SEQ ID NOS: 1-67. Techniques for both PCR based assays and hybridization assays are well known in the art (see, for example, Mullis et al. Ibid; Ehrlich, Ibid). Primers or probes may thus be used to detect breast tumor-specific sequences in biological samples, including blood, urine and/or breast tumor tissue.